CONCERNS have been raised over ‘pollution’ in the River Anton after piles of litter have remained uncleared for ‘at least six months’.

The offending items are piling up in the water under Anton Mill Road, behind Asda supermarket.

When our reporter went to the scene, plastic bottles, food packaging, and a child’s rubber ring were among the discarded waste.

One Andover resident, Rodney - who did not want his surname published - lives in the Junction Road area of the town and likes to go on walks in different areas. He described the litter as “absolutely disgraceful”.

“The pollution has been in the river for at least six months,” he said. “And still absolutely nothing has been done about it.

“There are dozens and dozens of plastic bottles, takeaway trays, a supermarket trolley. There are rats on it! I think what has happened it that a branch or a log or something has got jammed across the river and it’s started to build up and build up.”

He continued: “What I am particularly worried about is if the dam should break. If that breaks, with heavy rain or strong winds, it will do an awful lot of damage to wildlife.

“As it stands at the moment, it’s not necessarily doing a lot of damage. But if that breaks that will pollute the river all the way down to Stockbridge, or even as far as Southampton.”

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Rodney is calling on the borough council to take action to remedy the problem.

“I need Test Valley to do something about it, it’s been going on too long. I want somebody to actually physically stand in the river and clear it.”

However, he says that so far his concerns have been ignored.

“TVBC are so happy to say what a wonderful place that Andover is, and how good it’s going to be,” he said.

“But I’ve phoned and I’ve phoned and I’ve phoned.”

He added: “I went round there just before Christmas on a walk, and as I approached Asda there were two or three people with hi-viz jackets on picking up litter, all volunteers. I spoke to one of them and I asked if they knew about all the pollution. They said they knew all about it and had also reported it, and nothing has been done.”

TVBC has been contacted for comment.

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